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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.1Pew: US Jews More Likely Than Christians to State That Trump Favors Israelhttp://www.ghanachristianpost.com/general-news/pew-us-jews-more-likely-than-christians-to-state-that-trump-favors-israel/
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U.S. Jews are more likely than Christians to say that U.S. President Donald Trump favors Israelis more than the Palestinians, according to a Pew Research poll released on Monday.

Some 42 percent of American Jews say Trump is favoring Israelis more than the Palestinians, while 47 percent of them say he has been striking the right balance between the two.

Meanwhile, 59 percent of U.S. Christians say Trump has been striking the right balance between the Israelis and Palestinians, while only 26 percent say the president is favoring Israelis more than the Palestinians.

Within the Christian demographic, 62 percent of Protestants say Trump has been striking the right balance between the two groups, while 51 percent of Catholics say it is the same. Seventy-two percent of Evangelicals say the president has struck the right balance.

The Trump administration’s directives include recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and relocating the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv five months later; withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and reimposing sanctions lifted under the accord, in addition to enacting added penalties against Tehran; and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in March.

White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner said last month that the administration will release its highly anticipated Mideast peace plan for the Israelis and Palestinians after Israel forms a new government and after the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, which started on Sunday and continues to June 4.

“I will bless those who bless you And curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.” Genesis 12:3 (The Israel Bible)

An ICEJ delegation visited Israeli communities along the Gaza border and viewed a new specially designed ATV security vehicle donated through the ICEJ to a local moshav. Credit: ICEJ.

After Israel absorbed as many as 700 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) sent a delegation to the western Negev region on Monday to assess the updated security needs of local Israeli communities and how best to help them prepare for any future escalations.

The Christian Embassy has already donated more than 75 portable bomb shelters to the Gaza periphery towns and villages. On Monday, the ICEJ ordered another three more bomb shelters for the region.

The ICEJ also is donating 20 protective vests for Yatar volunteers from the Negev who risk their lives working alongside the regular security forces to keep civilians safe during times of tension.

Moreover, the ICEJ delegation viewed all-terrain firefighting equipment, as well as brand-new specially designed ATV security vehicles that Christians have recently donated to Israeli communities through ICEJ.

“Hopefully, the ceasefire reached last night will hold, but the terror militias in Gaza are notoriously unpredictable and untrustworthy,” said ICEJ president Jürgen Bühler. “However, our team’s visit today has confirmed once more that our humanitarian investment in these vulnerable Israeli communities is comforting families and saving lives.”

Elan Isaacson, chief security officer for the Eshkol Region, told the ICEJ team that “after 18 years of experience and all the bomb shelters groups like you have placed around the region, the number of people killed and injured from the Gaza rockets is substantially down.”

Tamir Idan, mayor of the Sedot Negev Regional Council, also hosted the ICEJ team in Kibbutz Alumim before heading off to a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the latest escalation of rocket fire from Gaza.

A ceasefire was agreed upon early Monday morning. Israel reportedly responded throughout the barrage by striking Hamas observation posts, warehouses and weapons’ facilities in Gaza.

Reports from Gaza indicate that 23 Gazans were killed and 60 wounded in the Israeli airstrikes.

“He said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a menorah all of gold, with a bowl above it. The lamps on it are seven in number, and the lamps above it have seven pipes;” Zechariah 4:2 (The Israel Bible)

A replica of the golden menorah in front of Titus’ Arch in Rome. (Courtesy)

A small group of Christians’ remarkable act of faith has ambitious aspirations: to fix the theft of the golden menorah from the Temple by Titus in 70 CE. In addition, they are seeking to return some of the Divine love that has sustained Germany despite the horrific crimes perpetrated on the Jews in the Holocaust.

This ambition is embodied in a 265-pound gold menorah set to land in Israel in time for the country’s 71st Independence Day and encapsulated by the story of the men behind the project.

Alexander Dietz is a German Christian who has been volunteering in Israel for over three years. Dietz was raised in a secular home with no religious affiliations. He became deeply troubled as a young man and was living a lifestyle that was unhealthy for him physically and spiritually. The situation became dire and he had what he called a “spiritual crisis.” His search led him first to Zen Buddhism and to relocate to Dresden. He came under the care of a physiotherapist, a 55-year-old woman he described as “mommy.”

“She made soup for me and listened to my stories,” Dietz told Breaking Israel News. “One time, she said, ‘God can heal you.’’ I didn’t believe her but she was so nice that when she invited me to a church, I went with her. It was very strange but I went again and even again. I stayed friends with her. I helped her around the house and she continued to make really yummy soup. One night, I was having a real crisis and she and a friend prayed for me. I can’t explain it but I felt the heavens open. Something fell away from my heart and I realized that God was a true healer.”

He fixed me but I realized right away that it meant that my journey was just starting. I left everything at the age of 28. All I had was a room and a Bible but I was the happiest I had ever been.

Dietz is a devout Christian and has a strong belief in Jesus but, through his Bible study, he realized that this necessarily connected him to the Jews.

“It hit me that here I was, reading the Torah of the Jewish People. I was reading about the Jewish fathers and mothers, Israel, and Jerusalem. I realized the Moshiach is the Moshiach for everyone. The Jewish people are waiting for the Moshiach so there must be something for me to find there. Of course, there is a lot of talk about whether he already came but we are all still waiting for Moshiach. Whether it is the first time or the second time, this idea of Moshiach should be what brings Christians and Jews together. We need to join forces to prepare for Moshiach. We each have a different part in God’s redemption plan for the whole world but we have to remember that but God is One.”

This renewed journey led Dietz to his soulmate and their honeymoon in the Holy Land. His return to the Church led him to discover the damage replacement theology had wreaked on Christianity.

“Replacement theology is the basis of antisemitism and is bad for the Jews,” Dietz said. “But it is much worse for the Christians. It affected our faith in Jesus. Demonic influences entered the Church. I always ask Hashem why he allowed this.”

Dietz prayed for and received an answer. He noted that the changes he had witnessed in recent years, the growing connection between faith-based Zionism among Christians and Jews showed him that we are at a pivotal point in history when a great change is developing for both religions.

“It wasn’t yet time to remove replacement theology from the world,” he said. “Now is the time for Christianity to move away from replacement theology and to move back to connecting with Israel.”

Dietz joined with 11 friends in a group called ‘Reforma-Tzion’. The name is a play on words based on the Protestant Reformation, which was begun by Martin Luther in 1516, exactly 500 years prior to the formation of their group.

“We needed a new reformation, one that was based on Zion,” Dietz said. “Martin Luther had some of the Holy Spirit, a real encounter with God. But at the end of his life, he became antisemitic because the Jews refused to accept Jesus. Hitler based his antisemitism on Martin Luther. We needed to fix that. Christians don’t need to reform Israel. We need to fix ourselves, to bring into Christianity a revelation of Israel, where the Bible started.”

While volunteering, Dietz discovered that there were approximately 150,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel. Dietz also discovered that he had a personal connection to the Holocaust.

“My grandfather was very old,” Dietz said. “We knew that like all Germans his age he had fought in the war. But he never spoke about it. When he was sick and it was clear that he was going to be leaving the world, he suddenly pulled out a box full of medals including some Nazi medals. It was a major thing in his life but he refused to speak about it. But for us, the Holocaust suddenly became very personal.”

A Jewish-Israeli friend help Dietz put this into a different perspective.

“The worst enemies of Israel have the greatest opportunity now to be Israel’s closest friends,” Dietz said. “In Christianity, we call it ‘Grace’ but in Hebrew, you call it Chesed. Chesed is why I even exist. Clearly, the only reason Germany still exists in God’s world is because of Chesed.”

“If you are the recipient of such love, you have to return it,” Dietz said. “And the only way to do that toward God is to pass it along to your fellow man.”

Studies have shown that Holocaust survivors suffer from a prevalence of social, economic, and health problems and Dietz decided to become an active part of helping with these difficulties. He engages in a wide range of volunteer activities but much of his focus is on activities that bring joy to Holocaust survivors through the Yad L’Ezra organization.

Dietz and his wife also connect with German Christian groups who come to Israel.

Dietz noted that the number of Holocaust survivors is dropping each year as their generation fades away, but the lesson is becoming more important. He pointed to disturbing political developments in Europe and America, in which hate, extremism, and rejection of God seem to be getting stronger.

“The only way not to be deceived again, the only way to recognize an evil ruler like Haman or Hitler, is by relying on what the Bible calls the ‘pupil of God’s eye.’”

Dietz was, of course, referring Israel as is referred to throughout the Bible, most notably in the Book of Zechariah.

For thus said the lord of Hosts—He who sent me after glory—concerning the nations that have taken you as spoil: “Whoever touches you touches the pupil of his own eye. Zechariah 2:12

He explained his interpretation of the phrase, noting that history requires a greater-than-human perspective spanning many generations.

“The only way for the nations not to be deceived by bad rulership, to see current events from God’s perspective, is to connect to God through the people who are connected to Hashem, through His values and His truth.”

Dietz noted that any nation that has treated Israel and the Jews badly, including Germany, has suffered in return.

“Even today, Germany has confused who is the enemy,” Dietz said. “Germany is turning their back on Israel yet again.”

“Israel is, like other nations, full of good and bad,” Dietz explained. “But siding with Israel is not a matter of judging. We aren’t glorifying Israel for its own sake. Our Bible identifies God as the God of Israel. It is the identity of Hashem as Christians see him in the Bible. Christians and Jews, we need each other.”

Dietz is now involved in a most remarkable project. While in Israel, he encountered Bart Repko, a Dutch Christian who had taken it upon himself to enact the prophecy of praying for the peace of Jerusalem by praying at the Kotel (Western Wall) every day. As a student of history, Repko was aware of the many injustices perpetrated against the Jews in the name of religion.

“He longed to fix the injustices by praying but also through acts,” Dietz said. “He had a revelation that we needed to fix the theft of the Menorah, God’s light, by Titus.”

Repko has since passed away but the small Reforma-Tzion group has made his ambitions a reality. The Menorah Project required €120,000 in private donations and 18 months to create but they succeeded: a 265-pound gold-plated duplicate of the menorah depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome is now on its way to Israel. Like the menorah of Titus, the replica was made with several of the branches broken.

“We want the menorah to stand as a reminder to Christians that we broke something,” Dietz said. “This can be a sign of our repentance. The Jews have returned but the Christians need to fix what we broke, to return what we stole.”

“We saw that the stealing of the menorah in 70 CE was not just stealing of gold,” Dietz said. “After stealing the menorah, Rome declared themselves as the city of God, the true Israel. God never left Israel but we need to return what was stolen. Everything needs to return to the source, where it began.”

The menorah is being returned along the same route that it was stolen away. Last Wednesday, the menorah from Germany stood in front of the Arch of Titus. It is currently on its way from Greece to Haifa where it will be received in a joyous ceremony. On Tuesday, it will be received in Jerusalem in time for Israel’s Independence day which begins on Wednesday evening.

“Come then, put a curse upon this people for me, since they are too numerous for me; perhaps I can thus defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed indeed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” Numbers 22:6 (The Israel Bible)

(Credit: YouTube screenshot)

On Friday afternoon, pro-Israel Nigerian Pastor Rex Ajenifuja spoke out strongly against a group of his fellow Christian clergy members who he claims were sent by the BDS movement to criticize Israel. In an exclusive video created for Breaking Israel News, Pastor Ajenifuja explains why he believes the bishops from South Africa are lying about the true nature of Israel.

For the convenience of our readers who may have difficulty understanding some of Pastor Ajenifuja’s Nigerian accent, the video has been almost entirely transcribed below.

“Good afternoon. My name is Rex Ajenifuja. I’m a pastor from Nigeria and I’m also the Executive Director of an organization called I Stand With Israel in Nigeria. Wednesday, I arrived in Israel and when I arrived, I got to understand that some bishops from South Africa also arrived around the same time.

“And these bishops that arrived in Israel, they were in Israel for a different purpose. They were in Israel for a negative purpose. They are in Israel to attack Israel. They are in Israel to condemn Israel. They are in Israel to call Israel, to declare Israel as an apartheid state.

“I am here to denounce, to contradict their claim to challenge them, to declare that these bishops are not sincere, their submissions are not substantiated and they are false. I repeat: they are not sincere, their submissions are not substantiated and their submissions are based on false.

“First of all, I want to say that Israel is not an apartheid nation, it’s not an apartheid state. There have been a lot of submissions. People have said it, but I’m not going to go into what people have said before now. But I am particular about this set of bishops from South Africa. That they are false and they are not sincere.

“First of all, for them to say that in Israel, they stole the lands in Israel and that is why they could come to Israel and come and attack Israel with the government that is involved. They can’t dare try that in Moscow, in Tehran or any other nation. If they go there and [unclear] the state and I’m sure the same plane that brought them in would take them back. So because Israel is a tolerant state, not an apartheid state, and that is why they could come and declare Israel as an apartheid state if it were in the territory of Israel.

“These bishops, they are not sincere. Why do I say they are not sincere? They are hypocrites. Hypocrites in the sense that in South Africa, currently ongoing is a violence called xenophobic violence [ violence against foreigners]. Xenophobic violence is so high right now in South Africa that I am in Nigeria on Monday, two Nigerians were stabbed to death, one in Pretoria and one in Cape Town. Two Nigerians were stabbed to death in the ongoing xenophobia crisis in South Africa.

“And these South African bishops left their home, left the crisis at home, ignore what was happening at home, and they travel all the way to Israel to come and condemn Israel. Can you see the hypocrisy?

“And my Bible tells me that you remove first the speck in your eyes before you can see to remove the log in another person’s eyes. Fortunately in Israel, there is no log in Israel. Israel is a free state. Israel is a nation that is tolerant, and that is why they can come and say it.

“Israel! I can see justice. There is human rights. There is freedom of speech in Israel. They came, they are arriving at the same time Israel just concluded an election, an election that was judged the best crisis-free, error-free election in this part of the world, where every tribe in Israel exercise their franchise.

“I saw it on the results sheet. Arabs were voted for. Arabs also voted, so can that be obtainable? That was not obtainable during the apartheid era in South Africa where some groups were excluded from exercising their franchise.

“And these bishops, you know, claiming that Israel is an apratheid state, even at the eve of elections that was free of fear, that was all-encompassing, that every tribe in Israel, both minority and majority were carried along, both the center-right, the center-left, everyone was carried along.

“And you dare come to say that the nation is an apartheid nation?! No! That is why I say [unclear]

“I’m a pastor. And I read my Bible. I’m sure what’s in the Bible concerning these bishops. You can find it. These bishops are hypocrites. You can find it in the Book of Numbers, chapter 22 and chapter 23.

“They are contractors. Balak contracted Baalam to come and attack Israel. So exactly the same thing that is operating now. I am sure they are being contracted.

“The Balak in this case is the BDS movement. The BDS in South Africa or somewhere else have sponsored this mission to come and attack Israel. And I know if that same story, no division against Israel, no chastisement against Jacob. I know that what they are saying will hold no water.

“I want to say that these bishops, they are false bishops because in the Bible, we as Christians, we are taught to love Israel and Israel is the apple of His eyes. Israel is the heartbeat of God. But these bishops are coming to curse the apple of His eyes. Curse not my anointed and do my prophets no harm.

“So they have come to harm Israel. I am sure they know that what they are doing is counterproductive to their own destiny, to their own spirituality.

“So I am saying that these bishops, they are not sincere, they are hypocrites, they are not of God. I am the pastor. I am declaring them contrary to what they have come to do in Israel. That it is based on falsehood. It is insincere and unfortunately, they are false prophets. They are false contractors who have come to destroy their own lives, thinking that they have come to destroy Israel.

]]>http://www.ghanachristianpost.com/general-news/video-nigerian-pastor-declares-anti-israel-south-african-bishops-not-of-god/feed/0Record-Breaking Passover on Passover Temple Mount But Arabs Still Control Gate of Mercyhttp://www.ghanachristianpost.com/politics/record-breaking-passover-on-passover-temple-mount-but-arabs-still-control-gate-of-mercy/
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“Three times a year—on the festival of Pesach, on the festival of Shavuot, and on the festival of Sukkot—all your males shall appear before Hashem your God in the place that He will choose. They shall not appear before Hashem empty-handed,” Deuteronomy 16:16 (The Israel Bible)

Echoing the days of the Temple when all the Jews came to Jerusalem, chol hamoed (the intermediary days) of the Passover holiday saw a record number of Jews ascend at one time.

Elishama Sandman of Yera-eh reported on the numbers of Jews who ascended to their holiest site last week:

2,438 Jews ascended the Temple Mount during the week. This number is roughly equal to the number of Jews who ascended during the intermediary days last year. This was impressive when considering that the first two days were unseasonably stormy and wet.

Visiting hours for Jews are limited to 4.5 hours per day and are limited to the intermediary days, excluding visitation on the holidays and Shabbat.

Normally, the size of the groups is limited, thereby limiting the total number of Jews that can enter the Temple Mount compound. On Thursday, the police permitted four especially large groups, one with 120 members. As a result, there were almost 300 Jews on the Temple Mount at one time, a new record. This may very well be the largest number of Jews on the Temple Mount at one time since the Temple stood.

On Thursday, the eve of the Seventh Day of Passover, a total of 834 Jews ascended the Temple Mount.

“All of Israel was represented with many families and children touring the Temple Mount,” Sandman told Breaking Israel News. “The police ensured that anyone who wanted to ascend was able to and that they were able to fully tour the site within the accepted boundaries. A large number of prominent and influential rabbis made their first visits to the site.”

“We can only hope that this is the beginning of many trends; that more Jews will come, that more rabbis will support this, and that the police will continue to allow this important phenomenon to flourish,” Sandman said.

The only dark note concerned Sha’ar HaRachamim (the gate of mercy, also known as the golden gate). In March, Palestinians stormed the Sha’ar HaRachamim, an area that had been closed off to Jews and Muslims alike for 16 years after it was used as a meeting place for Hamas-related organizations. This was a clear violation of the status quo agreement between Jordan and Israel concerning the site. The Waqf (Muslim authority) refused to acknowledge summonses by the Israeli High Court and Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the site sealed.

“The Palestinians are still there though the riots have ceased,” Sandman reported. “It seems that their seizure of the site has been accepted by the Israeli authorities.”

]]>http://www.ghanachristianpost.com/politics/record-breaking-passover-on-passover-temple-mount-but-arabs-still-control-gate-of-mercy/feed/0Rabbi: ‘As A Jew, You Are A Soldier of God’http://www.ghanachristianpost.com/politics/rabbi-as-a-jew-you-are-a-soldier-of-god/
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Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalms 27:1 (The Israel Bible)

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of Chabad of Poway in Southern California speaks in the White House Rose Garden on May 2, 2019, less than a week after his synagogue was attacked by a lone gunman who killed one woman and injured three. (Credit: Jake Turx/Ami Magazine.)

The founding rabbi of Chabad of Poway in Southern California spoke at the White House on Thursday, less than a week after his synagogue was attacked, with one woman killed and three others injured.

“It was that moment that I made a decision: No matter what happens to me, I’m going to save as many people as possible,” said Goldstein in the Rose Garden with U.S. President Donald Trumpstanding behind him.

“I should’ve been dead by now, based on the rule of statistics,” he said, considering the bullet fire that injured his hands and caused the loss of his right index finger.

“But I did not stop. The Rebbe taught me: As a Jew, you are a soldier of God. You need to stand tall and fast, and do whatever it takes to change the world,” said Goldstein. “My life has changed forever, but it changed so I can make the change.”

How the nation can overcome the tragedy, according to the rabbi, was to “introduce a moment of silence in all public schools so that children from early childhood on could recognize that there’s more good to the world. That they are valuable. That there is accountability, and every human being is created in God’s image.”

Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life without parole or the death penalty for Earnest, despite California’s moratorium on capital punishment.

“The evidence indicated that the defendant fired eight to 10 rounds before the rifle appeared to jam or malfunction, and the defendant was unable to clear the weapon,” said San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Leonard Trinh in court.

An off-duty Border Patrol agent who was in the synagogue, which is located about a half-hour outside of San Diego, fired at Earnest, hitting his car. The gunman fled the scene but was soon apprehended without incident after he called 911 to admit to committing the crime, in addition to providing his location.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said Earnest was armed with an “AR-type assault weapon,” and added that he was being interviewed by the FBI and detectives.

The attack occurred exactly six months to the day after the deadliest shooting in American Jewish history when a gunman killed 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

“I will make your heirs as numerous as the stars of heaven, and assign to your heirs all these lands, so that all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your heirs.” Genesis 26:4 (The Israel Bible)

Survey (Image by Shutterstock)

Just in time for Israeli Independence Day on Wednesday evening, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced on Sunday that the number of Israelis increased by 177,000 (two percent) since last year and currently stands at 9,021,000.

The report stated that 6,697,000 Israelis are Jewish (74.2 percent) and 1,890,000 are Arab (20.9%). 434,000 people are non-Arab Christians or members of other ethnic groups. Seventy-five percent of the Jews in Israel are native-born Sabras.

That number includes 188,000 births and 47,000 deaths. 31,000 Olim (immigrants) arrived this year as part of the prophetic Ingathering of the Exiles.

The CBS estimated that the population will grow to 15.2 million people by Israel’s 100th birthday in 2048.

In 1948 there were 806,000 people in Israel and at the time and the global Jewish population was 11.5 million, meaning that six percent of the world’s Jews lived in Israel. The total number of Jews in the world is currently estimated to be 14.5 million meaning that 45 percent of world Jewry lives in Israel.

The statistical achievement has a somber side. Before six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, the population of world Jewry stood at 16.5 million, or .8 percent of the world population. Jews currently represent less than .2 percent of the world population.

And the many peoples shall go and say: “Come, Let us go up to the Mount of Hashem, To the House of the God of Yaakov; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For instruction shall come forth from Tzion, The word of Hashem from Yerushalayim. Isaiah 2:3 (The Israel Bible)

Kohanim blow silver trumpets at the dedication of the altar for the Third Temple. (Credit: Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Breaking Israel News)

An interview with the spokesman for the Sanhedrin was twisted into an evil conspiracy theory claiming that the Jewish elders are working to bring the Antichrist. A Christian Temple Mount advocate laments the negative message of the video, pointing out that it entirely misses the message that is enormously important to Jews and Christians alike.

A new film by “R$E” or “RoundSaturnsEye”, an independent Christian video company, focused on the Sanhedrin. In the video, the presenter interviews Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, about the activities of the Sanhedrin including the building of an altar, the red heifer, the minting of commemorative coins, and their plans to institute an Organization of 70 Nations. Rabbi Weiss restated the Sanhedrin’s opinion that Trump has the potential to be comparable to Cyrus as a non-Jewish ruler who is playing a key role in the creation of a Jewish Temple.

The video has garnered an astounding 100,000 views in three days.

R$E (a shortened version of RoundSaturnEye) creates videos for Christian viewers. The organization and its videos are controversial even among Christians, so much so that the man behind the camera remained anonymous. R$E videos describe global conspiracies being perpetrated by Freemasons and the Illuminati as well as the Vatican. The site also ascribes evil intentions and deeds to Donald Trump as well as Hillary Clinton. It is believed that the organization is run by a David Bass, a successful British YouTuber formerly known as Daveyboyz whose videos have garnered over 30 million views.

Perhaps the most explosive part of the interview came after the presenter described his own Christian beliefs. Rabbi Weiss answered directly.

“I am not going to be here the antichrist,” Rabbi Weiss said. “I cannot speak against your belief. And I don’t want to do it. I’m not fighting here for Judaism. We cannot be Christians. It is unallowed. But what will be in the end of times?”

Rabbi Weiss answered this by referring to the Book of Joel.

After that, I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy; Your old men shall dream dreams, And your young men shall see visions. Joel 3:1

“So you have your own way of interpreting and maybe we have our own way of interpreting,” Rabbi Weiss said. “We shouldn’t put pressure on each other.”

The presenter continued to press Rabbi Weiss about Jesus as the “logos”, reminding him at the end of the interview that “the sins of both Jew and Gentile have been washed clean by Yeshua.”

The movie ended with a verse from the New Testament appearing on the screen, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Captions stating the hope that the Sanhedrin would convert to Christianity appeared, saying that the organization has misapplied the prophecies of Christianity. The video then quoted a prophecy which is one of the sources for the belief held by some Christians that the Third Temple will be the “Temple of the anti-Christ.”

Rabbi Weiss understood from the outset that the movie was not intended to portray the Sanhedrin, or even the Jews, in a positive light.

“I answered in as honest and straightforward a manner as possible,” Rabbi Weiss told Breaking Israel News. “We have our red lines but there is no reason for either side, Jewish or Christian, to be angry or condescending. The Interviewer had his agenda that he was going to push forward no matter what. In the end, whatever we do is in the hand of God.”

“I have met with representatives of the PLO and Hamas. No matter what they think, I have enough truth, enough Torah, to deal with anyone, even if he comes directly from Satan,” Rabbi Weiss said. “The simple truth is that the end is known and we are seeing it take shape now,” Professor Weiss said. “The nations already believe in the Bible and so many people are coming to realize that the source of Torah is Zion.”

And the many peoples shall go and say: “Come, Let us go up to the Mount of Hashem, To the House of the God of Yaakov; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For instruction shall come forth from Tzion, The word of Hashem from Yerushalayim. Isaiah 2:3

“This is getting stronger because many people understand that the solution for the insanity of the fringe liberal culture is the Torah. They say that there are no borders and the Bible describes how God established nations. This raises everyone up, each in his own right, each in his own identity. Each nation has its own unique history that was divinely guided.”

The Sanhedrin has existed for 15 years. It is frequently referred to in the Christian media, usually with respect though sometimes, like in the video, as an evil Jewish conspiracy. However, among the Jews, the Sanhedrin goes largely unacknowledged.

“Jews are terrified to express their own identity,” Rabbi Weiss explained. “They are afraid to reveal their inner truth. They are afraid to show this to the non-Jews. This has always been the case but it is even more so after the Holocaust. The goal of the Enlightenment, the secular movement within Judaism, that is now represented by liberalism, has its roots in the sin of the Golden Calf. It is an attempt to be even more of a goy than the goyim, to hide our unique identity as Jews.”

“Jews are required by the Torah to have a Sanhedrin. Not a Supreme Court or even a Chief Rabbinate. But even the Orthodox Jews in Israel want these things that are not based in the Torah. Ignoring the Torah requirement to have a Sanhedrin is an injustice against the nations who need what the Jews have to offer. The function of the Sanhedrin is to shine the light of the Torah into the world. So many from the nations want this, know that this is what they need to fix their courts, to fix the environment, to push away the darkness of lies.”

The video was disturbing to Christians as well. Perhaps even more so. As the Christian Relations Director, John Enarson helped organize a conference last year the educated Christians about the importance of the Temple Mount. Enarson is intensely aware of the theological issues Christians face concerning the Third Temple.

“The belief in a false messiah that misleads the world, an anti-Christ, is a fairly mainstream Christian belief and is based in the New Testament. “I see myself and my work connecting Christians to the Temple Mount as working to bring Redemption and not as bringing evil into the world, though I know that the hard times might come.”

“People who speculate in depth and focus on this issue exclusively receive a lot of sensationalistic attention but it is something that most healthy churches are careful with. It is far too much speculation and doesn’t bear fruit. Most mature Christians do not get overly into the topic, like these YouTubers,” Enarson said. “The end times does contain difficult aspects, but they are out of my control. I am called upon to do what I can to bring Redemption without being afraid that the times will get tough for people of faith. Even the Biblical description of the Redemption from Egypt describes a difficult process but it relays the message to not be discouraged.”

“Much of the inspiration for the antichrist comes from the Hanukkah story of Antiochus Epiphanes, or Pharoah, or Amalek,” Enarson explained. “We know that someone will rise up in every generation to destroy the Jewish people. This is similar to the Antichrist; a potential destroyer in every generation. Christians have had persecutors in every generation. But against this, we have someone who will rise up against the persecutor.”

“Christians who haven’t dealt with the Jewish roots of their theology and replacement theology tend to have difficulty understanding how to cope with the concept of the Antichrist. They think that as long as there is no Temple, there will be no antichrist, so they are afraid of the Temple. Though Antichrist is a mainstream idea, useful for inspiration, you need to be careful specifying who the destroyer is,” Enarson said.

“The interview was a bit of an ambush. I wish that Rabbi Weiss had met with someone who was objective about what was being said. It was sad that the interviewer was so stuck in his replacement theology, stuck in conflict with Rabbi Weiss, that he missed so much that is valuable to Christians. Of course, Jews and Christians are not going to agree about Jesus but there is enough that we can come together on for mutual benefit.”

“And Hashem said to me: This gate is to be kept shut and is not to be opened! No one shall enter by it because Hashem, the God of Yisrael, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut.” Ezekiel 44:2 (The Israel Bible)

The Muslim cemetery of Bab Al-Rahma adjoins the eastern wall of the Old City next to the Golden Gate/Gate of Mercy. (Credit: Meunierd/Shutterstock.com)

On Friday, thousands of Palestinians stormed the Shaar HaRachamim (the gate of mercy), also known as the Golden Gate, on the Temple Mount chanting “Allahu Akhbar” (Allah is greater), breaking into the locked site. The site has been closed by court order since 2003 when it was discovered that the Islamic heritage association that operated there was associated with Hamas and the site had become a meeting place for suspected terrorists. Illegal construction was also being carried out on site. Palestinian officials hailed the entry of worshipers into the Golden Gate site on Friday as a “big victory.”

On Thursday night, police arrested 60 East Jerusalem residents on suspicions of incitement and rioting ahead of the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In the video, the crowd is heard chanting, “with spirit and blood we will redeem Al-Aqsa.”

Jerusalem Police on Sunday arrested two senior officials of the Waqf (Muslim authority): the Chairman of the Wakf Department in east Jerusalem, Shiekh Abdel Azim Salhab and Sheikh Najeh Bkeirat, deputy director of the Wakf. The Waqf is under Jordanian jurisdiction and earlier this month, the Jordanian government increased the Waqf council from 11 to 18 in a move that was seen to bolster the Palestinian Authority control over the Temple Mount. It is believed that this is an attempt to consolidate control over the site before the U.S. announces President Trump’s Middle-East Peace Plan.

MK Ahmad Tibi of the joint Hadash-Ta’al party visited the controversial Golden Gate site on Saturday and said its opening was “an important and significant step.” He added that Muslims and the Waqf, custodians of the holy site, “should be given full control of the mosque, without the entry of settlers and Jewish politicians from the right,” according to Army Radio.

Israel conquered the Temple Mount in the 1967 Six-Day War and in a 1988 agreement with Israel, Jordan renounced its claim to any of the territories it had illegally occupied prior to the war. The peace treaty Jordan signed with Israel in 1994 requires Israel to “respect the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem.”

According to Jewish tradition, the Shekhinah (שכינה) (Divine Presence) used to appear through the Eastern Gate and will appear again when the Messiah arrives.

He shall be a wild ass of a man; His hand against everyone, And everyone’s hand against him; He shall dwell alongside of all his kinsmen.” Genesis 16:12 (The Israel Bible)

View of the Temple Mount (Credit: David Brummer/Breaking Israel News)

Christians, Jews, and Muslims have been battling over mountaintop land in Jerusalem for centuries. Recent attempts at a rational, politically negotiated solution have all ended badly. Perhaps what politicians should do is reference prophetic sources which describe in great detail the end-of-days Temple Mount agenda for all concerned.

When most people think of the Temple Mount they consider one building; the golden Dome of the Rock built by the Muslims in the Seventh Century. The Temple Mount Compound is actually quite large, comprised of 144,000 sq. m./37 acres of land, most of it either empty or covered in trees planted in the last few decades. Though Israeli and international law mandates allowing equality of religions and universal prayer at the site, the Israeli police cite security concerns for restricting the right to pray only to Muslims.

In a rare display of Islamic pluralism, a 2017 article in The Muslim Times noted that there is certainly room at the site to create a worship space, even a Third Temple, for the Jews. The editor, Dr. Zia Shah, suggested a multi-story structure to maximize the space.

“Every Jewish, Christian and Muslim denomination that has a sizeable presence in Israel gets a floor in the plaza free of charge, as their synagogue, church or mosque and in return they provide a public relations campaign to make the project a success. The state of Israel gets to choose the leaders of those denominations, giving the state and PM Benjamin Netanyahu some stake in the process.”

Despite Dr. Shah’s largesse, Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University, noted that the plan would be unacceptable to mainstream Islam.

“There is no way in Islam to accept such a plan,” Dr. Kedar told Breaking Israel News. “The essence of Islam is that Judaism and Christianity are no longer relevant in the world. The reason Islam exists is to replace them. Any visible reminder that Christianity or Judaism still exists is proof that Islam has failed in its primary mission.”

Jewish sources describe that in the end-of-days the descendants of Ishmael will have a place and a purpose on the Temple Mount. A surprisingly detailed description of the Messianic process is given in the Zohar Hadash, a collection of previously unpublished manuscripts pertaining to the Zohar printed in the late 16th century. In one section (Balak 68b), the Zohar Hadash describes a process that will begin in the 274th year of the sixth millennium. This works out to be the year 5774 in the Hebrew calendar which began in September 2013. Part of the process described included a “destruction” in a synagogue in “the south” in which five tzadikim (righteous men) will be killed.

Indeed, in November 2014, two Palestinian terrorists armed with knives, guns, and axes carried out a bloody attack in a Har Nof synagogue on November 18, 2014. Four Jews were killed in the attack, as well as, Zidan Saif, a Druze policeman. The following October, Rabbi Haim Rothman died from the wounds he suffered in the attack, bringing the death toll to five, precisely as predicted more than 400 years earlier.

The first five victims of the Har Nof Jerusalem Synagogue terrorist attack. (Credit: Breaking Israel News)

This same prophecy is repeated in other sources, adding that the “Sons of Ishmael” (Arabs) will make war against the Messiah, and will “come and bow down before God at the holy mountain in Jerusalem”.

Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific author and respected Torah scholar, noted the prominent end-of-Days role the Arabs are predicted to play on the Temple Mount.

“It is not a coincidence that Ishmael is on the Temple Mount,” Rabbi Winston told Breaking Israel News. “The Christians tried hard for centuries but mostly failed.”

“The rabbinic tradition teaches the reason why Ishmael succeeded in having a place in Israel and the Temple Mount is by virtue of Ishmael’s brit milah (circumcision). The Zohar related how the angel of Ishmael complained to God that since he performed brit milah, he should also receive a portion in Israel. God responded that the brit milah Ishmael and his descendants perform does not include priah (the folding back of the foreskin that is an essential stage in the circumcision and if it is not performed, the circumcision is not kosher). God described this form of brit milah as ‘empty.’ By virtue of Ishmael’s brit milah his descendants will have a part in the land but since the brit milahwas ‘empty,’ they will have the land when the land is empty.”

Rabbi Winston cited another aspect of Ishmael’s presence on the Temple Mount.

“Ishmael was circumcised when he was 13 years old,” he explained. “For every year of his life before his circumcision, his descendants inherited 100 years on the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock was built in 648 CE. They lost control of the Holy Land in 1947 exactly 1,300 years later.”

According to the Rambam, it was preferable that Muslims should be on the Temple Mount. The Catholic religion has elements of idolatry and the Muslim presence on the Temple Mount protected it from idolatry. But the Muslim lease to the Temple Mount was finished in 1947. Their job now is implicit in their name: Yishma El (God will hear). Their job on the Temple Mount is like the Egyptians; to push us until we cry out to God to save us and bring Messiah and to bring back the Temple.

“This is why there can’t be peace with them based on reason or politics,” Rabbi Winston concluded. “The only thing the Jews can do is what we were supposed to do; cry out to God.”